and incidentally to provide a more appropriate setting for them, had
long been considered. During World War II, the nationwide movement for
the conservation of cultural resources became particularly active in
Philadelphia, and much was done to coordinate the work of different
groups. In 1942, a group of interested persons, including
representatives of more than 50 civic and patriotic organizations, met
in the Hall of the American Philosophical Society and organized the
“Independence Hall Association.” This association was the spearhead of a
vigorous campaign which resulted in stimulating official action to bring
about the establishment of Independence National Historical Park
Project.
[Illustration: _The Banquet, or “Long,” Room of Independence Hall,
restored by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1897._ Photo
taken in 1914. Courtesy Philadelphia Electric Co.]
[Illustration: _Assembly Room of Independence Hall, 1952._]
Conceived as a means of reclaiming some of the neighborhood around
Independence Square and to preserve the many significant historical
buildings in the area for the benefit and enjoyment of the American
people, the historical park is being developed by the concerted efforts
of the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the
United States of America.
In 1945, the State Government authorized the expenditure of funds to
acquire the three city blocks between Fifth and Sixth Streets from the
Delaware River bridgehead at Race Street to Independence Square. This
project of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, officially designated
“Independence Mall,” provides for the demolition of almost all buildings
within the authorized area to make room for a great concourse, thereby
forming a dignified approach to Independence Square. By the summer of
1953, all buildings in the first block, between Chestnut and Market
Streets, had been demolished and the ground prepared for landscaping.
The Federal area was defined by an act of the Congress (Public Law 795,
80th Congress) after the matter had been studied intensively by a
Federal commission named in 1946. The principal area covers three city
blocks between Walnut and Chestnut from Fifth to Second Streets, with
subsidiary areas on either side to include important historic sites,
such as the property adjacent to old Christ Church, the site of
Franklin’s home, and an area leading from Walnut Street to old St.
Mary’s Church. A surprising number of significant buildings are included
within the park boundaries. The First and Second Banks of the United
States, the Philadelphia Exchange, and the Bishop White and
Dilworth-Todd-Moylan houses are the principal historic buildings
included in the Federal area. Carpenters’ Hall and Christ Church will
not be purchased, but their preservation and interpretation have been
assured through contracts with the Department of the Interior.
[Illustration: _A scene from the reenactment of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence in the Assembly Room of Independence
Hall on July 4, 1951._]
The contribution of the City of Philadelphia to the historical park is
by far the most vital. On January 1, 1951, the custody and operation of
the Independence Hall group of buildings and the square were
transferred, under the terms of a contract, from the City to the
National Park Service. The title to the property will remain with the
City. Earlier, in 1943, the buildings were designated a national
historic site by the Department of the Interior. Since assuming custody
of the Independence Hall group, the National Park Service has carried
out an extensive program of rehabilitation of these historic structures;
also, many facilities for visitors have been provided for the
dissemination of the history of the Independence Hall group, as well as
that of the other structures in the park. In addition, a far-reaching
project of historical and architectural research has been undertaken.
The facts gathered in this research will enable plans to be developed
which will assure the public of deriving the maximum benefit from a
visit to this most important historical area.
It is fortunate that these old structures have survived, sometimes
through accident rather than design, so that they may serve as tangible
illustrations of this Nation’s history for the inspiration of this and
succeeding generations of Americans.
_The Story of a Symbol_
The Liberty Bell is the most venerated symbol of patriotism in the
United States; its fame as an emblem of liberty is worldwide. In the
affections of the American people today it overshadows even Independence
Hall, although veneration for the latter began much earlier. Its
history, a combination of facts and folklore, has firmly established the
Liberty Bell as the tangible image of political freedom. To understand
this unique position of the bell, one must go beyond authenticated
history (for the bell is rarely mentioned in early records) and study
the folklore which has grown up.
The known facts about the Liberty Bell can be quickly told. Properly,
the story starts on November 1, 1751, when the superintendents of the
State House of the Province of Pennsylvania (now Independence Hall)
ordered a “bell of about two thousand pounds weight” for use in that
building. They stipulated that the bell should have cast around its
crown the Old Testament quotation, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the
land, unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Most likely, this phrase was
chosen in commemoration of William Penn’s Charter of Privileges issued
50 years earlier.
Thomas Lester’s foundry at Whitechapel, in London, was the scene of
casting the bell. Soon after its arrival in Philadelphia, in August
1752, the brand new bell was cracked “by a stroke of the clapper without
any other viollence as it was hung up to try the sound.” At this
juncture, those now famous “two ingenious workmen of Philadelphia,” Pass
and Stow, undertook to recast the cracked bell. After at least one
recorded failure to produce an instrument of pleasing tone, their
efforts were successful, and, in 1753, the bell began its period of
service, summoning the legislators to the Assembly and opening the
courts of justice in the State House.
[Illustration: _Earliest known representation of the Liberty Bell._
From the anti-slavery booklet, _The Liberty Bell_, published by the
Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Fair, Boston, 1839. Courtesy Historical
Society of Pennsylvania.]
With the threat of British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777, the State
House bell and other bells were hastily moved from the City to prevent
their falling into British hands and being made into cannon. Taken to
Allentown, the bell remained hidden under the floor of the Zion Reformed
Church for almost a year. In the summer of 1778, upon the withdrawal of
the British, it was deemed safe to return the bells to Philadelphia.
By 1773, the State House steeple had become so dangerously weakened that
it was removed in 1781 and the bell lowered into the brick tower. Some
50 years later, in 1828, when the wooden steeple was rebuilt, a new and
larger bell was acquired. The old bell, almost forgotten, probably
remained in the tower. The new one was obtained, perhaps, because the
original had either cracked or had shown indications of cracking.
Traditionally, the fracture occurred while the bell was being tolled
during the funeral procession of Chief Justice John Marshall some 7
years later. In 1846, an attempt was made to restore the bell’s tone by
drilling the crack so as to separate the sides of the fracture. This
attempt failed. The bell was actually tolled for Washington’s birthday,
but for the last time, for the crack began to spread.
Now that the bell was mute, useless as a summoner or sounder of alarms,
it began to assume a new and more vital role. Over the years it came to
be a symbol of human liberty—a very substantial symbol of 2,080 pounds
of cast metal—inscribed with the Biblical admonition to “proclaim
liberty.”
[Illustration: _An early use of the Liberty Bell as a symbolic
device._ From R. H. Smith, _Philadelphia As It Is_, 1852.]
[Illustration: _“The Bellman informed of the passage of the
Declaration of Independence.” Lippard’s legend of the Liberty Bell
was incorporated by Joel Tyler Headley in his_ Life of George
Washington, _which ran serially in_ Graham’s Magazine _in 1854. This
illustration appeared in the June issue._]
[Illustration: _Between 1854 and 1876, the Liberty Bell stood on
display in the Assembly Room on a 13-sided pedestal representing the
Thirteen Original States._ Sketch by Theo. R. Davis in _Harper’s
Weekly_, July 10, 1869.]
It is difficult to find the exact beginnings of this veneration for the
Liberty Bell. Independence Hall, the building with which it is so
intimately associated, began its evolution as a patriotic shrine about
the time of Lafayette’s visit in 1824, but the bell, rarely mentioned
earlier, still received no notice. Illustrative of this lack of
interest, perhaps, is the late 19th-century tradition, only recently
disproved, that in 1828 the Liberty Bell was offered as scrap metal
valued at $400 in partial payment to the manufacturer for the new State
House bell.
Probably the first use of the bell as a symbolic device dates from 1839.
In that year, some unknown person apparently noted the forgotten
inscription on the bell. This was immediately seized upon by adherents
of the antislavery movement who published a pamphlet, entitled _The
Liberty Bell_. This is also the first known use of that name.
Previously, the bell was called the Old State House Bell, the Bell of
the Revolution, or Old Independence. That publication was followed by
others which displayed the bell, greatly idealized, as a frontispiece.
Thus the bell became identified with early antislavery propaganda,
invoking the inscription of a promise of freedom to “all the
inhabitants.” During this time, it is interesting to note, the symbolism
of the bell served a narrow field; little, if any, thought was given it
as a patriotic relic.
But patriotism was the next logical step. In the first half of the 19th
century the bell became the subject of legendary tales which it has not
been possible to verify. These legends have been recited in prose and
poetry; they have found their way into children’s textbooks; and they
have contributed greatly to rousing the patriotic enthusiasm of
succeeding generations of Americans. Accepted by all classes of people,
these legends have done more than anything else to make the bell an
object of veneration.
[Illustration: _From 1876 to 1885, the bell hung in the tower room
from a chain of 13 links._ Wood engraving in David Scattergood,
_Hand Book of the State House_, Philadelphia, 1890.]
The patriotic folklore apparently began with George Lippard, a popular
novelist of Philadelphia. It was Lippard who wrote that most thrilling
and irrepressible tale of the bell, the vivid story of the old
bellringer waiting to ring the bell on July 4, 1776. This tale first
appeared in 1847 in the Philadelphia _Saturday Courier_ under the name,
“Fourth of July, 1776,” one of a collection called _Legends of the
Revolution_.
The popularity of Lippard’s legend soon brought imitations. The noted
Benson J. Lossing, gathering material for his popular _Field Book of the
Revolution_, visited Philadelphia in 1848 and recorded the story. This
gave the legend historical credence in the minds of Lossing’s host of
readers. Taking the story presumably from Lossing, Joel Tyler Headley,
another well-known historian, included it with certain variations of his
own in his _Life of George Washington_, which was published first
serially in 1854 in _Graham’s Magazine_ and then in book form.
[Illustration: _The Liberty Bell in a glass case, 1895-1915._ From
Victor Rosewater, _The Liberty Bell Its History and Significance_,
D. Appleton and Co., New York, 1926. Courtesy Appleton-Century-Croft
Inc.]
Firmly established as history by Lossing and Headley, Lippard’s story
also found poetic expression. The date of the first poem on this theme
has not been established, but, once written, it found its way into
school readers and into collections of patriotic verse. The most widely
read was probably G. S. Hillard’s _Franklin Fifth Reader_, issued in
1871, although the poem had been in popular use for some time before.
Beginning with “There was a tumult in the city, in the quaint old Quaker
town,” the poem became a popular recitation piece which every schoolboy
knew. The best known lines read:
Hushed the people’s swelling murmur,
Whilst the boy cries joyously;
“Ring!” he’s shouting, “ring, grandfather,
Ring! Oh, ring for Liberty!”
Quickly at the given signal
The old bellman lifts his hand.
Forth he sends the good news, making
Iron music through the land.
The growing legend of the Liberty Bell aroused curiosity in the relic
itself, hidden from view in the tower. It was consequently brought down
to the first floor of Independence Hall. In 1852, during a convention of
delegates from the Thirteen Original States in Independence Hall, the
bell was placed on a temporary pedestal in the Assembly Room—the east
room. Two years later the temporary platform was replaced by a massive
pedestal having 13 sides ornamented by Roman fasces, liberty caps, and
festooned flags. The bell was topped by Charles Willson Peale’s mounted
eagle.
In this position the Liberty Bell remained until a more intense
interest, awakened by the approaching celebration of the Centennial
Anniversary, caused it to be moved to the hallway. Here it was mounted
on its old wooden frame which had been found in the tower. A plain iron
railing enclosed the bell and frame.
The bell stayed in this location for only a short time. A few years
later it and the frame were placed in the Supreme Court Chamber—the west
room—near one of the front windows. Displaying it in its heavy wooden
frame evidently proved unsatisfactory, because the bell itself was
practically concealed. The next move, therefore, was to suspend it from
the ceiling of the tower room by a chain of 13 links.
Probably because the inscription was difficult to read while the bell
was suspended from the chain, it was lowered about 1895, placed in a
large, glass-enclosed mahogany case, and again put in the Assembly Room.
For 20 years it remained in this case, located part of the time in the
Assembly Room and part of the time in the tower room. Finally, it was
decided that visitors should be permitted to touch the bell, which was
removed from the glass case in 1915 and exhibited on a frame and
pedestal. With the whole arrangement on wheels, it could be quickly
rolled out of the building in an emergency. This is the manner in which
it is displayed today. Located just inside the south, or tower, door,
the Liberty Bell is illuminated at night so that visitors may see it
from Independence Square.
[Illustration: _In 1917, on First Liberty Loan Day, the bell was
paraded on a truck through the streets of Philadelphia._ Courtesy
City of Philadelphia.]
[Illustration: _Representatives of Allied Nations around the bell in
1919 on the occasion of General Pershing’s visit to Independence
Hall._ Courtesy City of Philadelphia.]
The growing importance of the Liberty Bell as a patriotic symbol aroused
popular demand for its movement around the country so that more people
could see it. The first long journey was in the winter of 1885 to New
Orleans and through the South. Later trips took the bell to Chicago in
1893, to Atlanta in 1895, to Charleston in 1902, to Boston in 1903, and
to San Francisco in 1915. On each trip the arrival of the bell was the
occasion for celebrations by patriotic groups and citizens, many of whom
traveled long distances to see and touch the venerated relic. During
these trips, however, the crack in the bell increased, and finally its
condition became so dangerous that all future travel had to be
prohibited.
[Illustration: _This group is typical of the hundreds of thousands
of visitors who come annually from every corner of the world to see
the Liberty Bell._]
The affectionate reverence inspired by the Liberty Bell is demonstrated
by the endless stream of visitors who come to see it, touch it, or
simply stand quietly beside it. No other patriotic relic in America has
had a more distinguished visitation. Almost every President of the
United States since Abraham Lincoln has come to Independence Hall to pay
his respect to the Liberty Bell. Statesmen and great military leaders of
the world have joined the masses of ordinary people in honoring it.
Poets and other literary figures have attempted to express the meaning
of the bell, and John Philip Sousa, the “March King,” composed a
_Liberty Bell March_. It has been pictured on postage stamps, fifty cent
pieces, and on national bond drive posters.
The Liberty Bell has served to arouse the patriotic instincts of more
than one generation of Americans. It is today surrounded by a cloak of
veneration. Even more, it has come to be regarded by countless millions
throughout the world as the one great symbol of freedom, liberty, and
justice.
_Guide to the Area_
The information which follows supplements that contained in the
narrative of this handbook. It is so arranged as to enable the visitor
to make his own tour of the area. The numbers given correspond to the
numbers on the map of the park and vicinity. (See pages 32 and 33).
NO. 1. INDEPENDENCE HALL GROUP, Independence Square, comprises
Independence Hall, east and west wings, Congress Hall, and the Supreme
Court building (Old City Hall). INDEPENDENCE HALL, the center building,
was erected between 1732 and 1753 as the State House of the Province of
Pennsylvania; here the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July
4, 1776, the Continental Congress met during the American Revolution,
and the Federal Constitutional Convention sat in 1787. The Liberty Bell
is located on the first floor of the tower. The WING BUILDINGS, erected
originally in the 1730’s, served as Provincial offices; they were torn
down in 1812 and reconstructed in 1898. The buildings now serve as the
Information Centers of the park. CONGRESS HALL, built as the County
Courthouse in 1787-89, housed the Congress of the United States from
1790 to 1800. In the SUPREME COURT BUILDING, erected in 1789-91 as the
City Hall of Philadelphia, sat the Supreme Court of the United States
from 1791 to 1800. These buildings are open from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.
daily, including holidays. Visitors should begin their tours in the
Information Center, west wing of Independence Hall.
NO. 2. PHILOSOPHICAL HALL (American Philosophical Society) on
Independence Square. In 1785, the Assembly of Pennsylvania granted the
lot to the society. The building, erected between 1785 and 1789,
harmonizes in style with the other buildings on the square. The American
Philosophical Society, the oldest and one of the most distinguished
learned societies in America, was started in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin.
The building, still occupied by the society, is not part of Independence
National Historical Park and is not open to the general public.
NO. 3. LIBRARY HALL, (site of Library Company of Philadelphia), on
northeast corner of Library and Fifth Streets. Founded in 1731 by
Benjamin Franklin and his friends, the Library Company of Philadelphia
was the first subscription library in the American Colonies. From 1790
to 1880, the library was housed in an attractive building on this site.
The structure was demolished about 1884.
[Illustration: {Second Bank of the United States}]
NO. 4. SECOND BANK OF THE UNITED STATES (Old Custom House), 420 Chestnut
Street. The building, patterned after the Parthenon by the architect
William Strickland, and considered one of the finest examples of Greek
revival architecture in the United States, was erected between 1819 and
1824 to house the Second Bank of the United States. After a bitter
controversy between President Jackson and the Whigs over the renewal of
the charter, the bank closed in 1836. It was then chartered by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but finally failed in 1841. From 1845 to
1934, the building was the Philadelphia Custom House. In 1939, the
Treasury Department transferred the building to the Department of the
Interior. It has been partially restored to its original design under
the guidance of the National Park Service. Now exhibited and maintained
by the Carl Schurz Memorial Foundation, the building is open to the
public Monday through Friday from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.
NO. 5. DILWORTH-TODD-MOYLAN HOUSE, on northeast corner of Fourth and
Walnut Streets. This small brick row house, typical of colonial
Philadelphia, was built by Jonathan Dilworth, merchant, about 1775. From
1791 to 1793, it was the home of John Todd, Jr., and his wife, Dolly
Payne. Following Todd’s death during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793,
his widow married James Madison, Congressman from Virginia, who later
became the fourth President of the United States. From 1796 to 1810, it
was the home of Gen. Stephen Moylan, mustermaster general and cavalry
officer during the Revolution and commissioner of loans in 1793. The
building is not open to the public pending its restoration by the
National Park Service.
[Illustration: {Dilworth-Todd-Moylan House}]
[Illustration: {Bishop White House}]
NO. 6. BISHOP WHITE HOUSE, 309 Walnut Street. This large brick
residence, an excellent example of an early Philadelphia row house, was
built shortly after the Revolution by the Reverend William White, Rector
of Christ Church and St. Peter’s Church from 1777. He became the first
Bishop of Pennsylvania in 1787 and acted as a unifying force in
reorganizing the Episcopal Church after the Revolution. After a long
life of service to mankind, he died in his home on July 17, 1836. The
building is not open to the public pending its restoration by the
National Park Service.
NO. 7. CITY TAVERN (site of), southwest corner of Second and Moravian
Streets. A three-story structure, built about 1773, this was the most
fashionable tavern in Philadelphia and was famous as the gathering place
of members of the Continental Congresses and the Constitutional
Convention and officials of the Federal Government from 1790 to 1800.
The building was demolished about 1852.
[Illustration: {Philadelphia Exchange}]
NO. 8. PHILADELPHIA (Merchants’) EXCHANGE, on the northeast corner of
Third and Walnut Streets. Built between 1832 and 1834, this building is
noteworthy for the beauty of its architecture. For many years it was the
meeting place for merchants and was the center of the commercial
activities of Philadelphia. The building is not open to the public.
[Illustration: {First Bank of the United States}]
NO. 9. FIRST BANK OF THE UNITED STATES, on the west side of South Third
Street, between Walnut and Chestnut Streets. Built between 1795 and
1797, this structure is probably the oldest bank building in the United
States. The First Bank of the United States was established as part of
the comprehensive program developed by Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of
the Treasury, to rectify the disordered state of Government finances.
The building, with its interesting classical facade, was occupied by the
First Bank of the United States until the expiration of its charter in
1811. In the following year, the building was purchased by Stephen
Girard, the wealthy merchant of Philadelphia, who opened his bank there.
Now the office of the Board of Directors of City Trusts, the building is
open to the public from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. daily, except Saturday and
Sunday.
[Illustration: {Carpenters’ Hall}]